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11/22/2024 01:24:34 pm

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China: 'No Cover-Up' In Oriental Star Sinking Investigations As Death Toll Rises To 65

Eastern Star

(Photo : Reuters) Family members of the missing passengers are getting frustrated over the fact that local government authorities have failed to provide more information about the incident and their rescue efforts.

China announced that it is pledging "no cover-up" in investigations pertaining to the sinking of the ship "The Eastern Star" on the Yangtze River, Monday night.

The ship had been carrying 456 people when it capsized. There are only 14 survivors, two of which are the ship's captain and chief engineer. Of the bodies gathered by divers, 65 are dead, and 370 remain missing.

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The disaster is being described as China's worst maritime disaster in 70 years.

As of the moment, authorities have detained crew members as part of the investigation into the sinking of the Eastern Star. They are still "gathering evidence", according to Spokesman Xu Chengguang of the Ministry of Transport.

"We will never shield mistakes and we'll absolutely not cover up (anything)," Xu said in a news conference Wednesday night. He also said that a preliminary investigation had already started.

According to an initial investigation, the capsized ship had not been overloaded and it contained just the right amount of life vests for the passengers.

A local maritime bureau reportedly sent a notice four and a half hours before the disaster warning of thunderstorms for the following six hours. It remains unknown whether the cruise ship crew read the notice, reported The New York Times.

The announcement from the Chinese government came before families, angered by the limited information they were receiving, broke through police cordon near the rescue site demanding answers.

Fifty family members went to the site after hiring a bus from Nanjing to Jianli County in Hubei, according to Reuters. The trip to the county takes eight hours.

The family members asked the government for information of the survivors and the dead, particularly their names. They also reportedly asked why most of the survivors rescued were crew members. There were also questions as to why the captain and crew members had life vests on when there had not been any alarm sounded.

Meanwhile, rescuers' search for survivors are being challenged by murky waters from the Yangtze River, according to the AFPThey are not giving up however, and are continuing the search for the missing despite wavering hopes of loved ones. Rescuers have started cutting small holes through the ship's hull in an effort to gain better access.

So far, there have been no survivors other than the 14 found, according to state media.

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